Events Calendar

In a world full of noise, we often try listening to something: conversations with colleagues and family, music in our headphones, videos blasting from our smartphones. We hear all these things daily, but what does it mean to truly listen? In what sense do devices also listen to us? What is the role of silence in listening? How has listening changed over time? Can political tensions be solved through “listening”? How is listening both an art and a science? This Wide Lens event brings together researchers from science, social sciences, the humanities, and the arts to investigate what it means to listen deeply and thoughtfully.

Note: The event will take place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in the Herald Stark Opera Studio at Voxman Music Building. It is tentatively scheduled to begin at 5:30, but this may change. Please check back closer to the event.

Presenters:

• Gerta Bardhoshi, Counseling (College of Education)
• Brittany Bettendorf, Rheumatology (Carver College of Medicine)
• Eric Hunter, Communication Sciences and Disorders (CLAS)
• Julianna Pacheco, Political Science (CLAS)
• Damani Phillips, Jazz Studies, School of Music (CLAS)
• Morten Schlütter, Religious Studies (CLAS)

Hosts: Luis Martín-Estudillo, Director, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies; Roland Racevskis, Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities, CLAS; and Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Associate Vice President for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Free and open to all.

About the series:

The Wide Lens series, a joint initiative of the UI College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, and the Office of the Vice President for Research, aims to inspire and connect the University of Iowa community across the disciplines. For each Wide Lens event, researchers, scholars, and artists from across the university briefly present their work on a shared topic of interest pecha kucha–style. Then, we open the floor to questions and conviviality over hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Wide Lens is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, and the Office of the Vice President for Research.